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I'm Looking to add a vintage square watch to my collection - advice please?

Retiredmajor
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Like the title says........I've been looking but it seems like a difficult item to search for.....I'm open to brand. Any advice? Thanks in advance, Major.
 
Larry S
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I’d look at Universal Geneve. They made some classic square chronographs. Also not quite square but the JLC reverso is always a good choice. Some of the old TAG Monaco?
 
Retiredmajor
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Larry S Larry S
I’d look at Universal Geneve. They made some classic square chronographs. Also not quite square but the JLC reverso is always a good choice. Some of the old TAG Monaco?
Thanks! I use the word SQUARE, but i guess I'm including rectangular as well...... Major
 
marcn
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Cartier Tank also worth researching. But there’s a huge style divide between that and say a Tag Monaco as @Larry S suggested, with both sort of fitting your criteria.
 
gatorcpa
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Hamiltons from 1920’s through the 1940’s. No one has a better selection of square and rectangular watches. A typical catalog:

HamiltonCatalog1935_Page_10.jpg
https://vintagewatchforums.com/viewforum.php?f=21&start=20

The Grade 987 and 982 movements were among the finest made by any manufacturer anywhere.
gatorcpa
 
Larry S
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Here is an example from the UG line….You do have to have a good watchmaker at your back with these old birds.
1FA37F9E-C5BE-40A0-B0B3-B39128AEE2B1.jpeg
 
gatorcpa
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The difference between the Hamiltons and that Universal is that the Hamiltons are not made of unobtainium.

You can find examples of most of the Hamiltons for $500 and under. A bit more for solid gold.

What’s entry level for a rectangular Compur like that?
gatorcpa
 
Retiredmajor
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
The difference between the Hamiltons and that Universal is that the Hamiltons are not made of unobtainium.

You can find examples of most of the Hamiltons for $500 and under. A bit more for solid gold.

What’s entry level for a rectangular Compur like that?
gatorcpa
Thank you....my problem is finding them...$500 and under is perfect for me. I see some on ebay, but that feels like a crap shoot to me. I'd like to find some on this site as I feel I'd get honest value. Major
 
Retiredmajor
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__ryan__ __ryan__
Here’s a site that you can peruse for vintage Hamilton:

https://www.vintagehamilton.com/

I’m not sure about the pricing there - bound to be some premium. But it may help you scope out what you like.
Very helpful...thank you. I can see a few styles here that might fit the bill.
 
Larry S
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
The difference between the Hamiltons and that Universal is that the Hamiltons are not made of unobtainium.

You can find examples of most of the Hamiltons for $500 and under. A bit more for solid gold.

What’s entry level for a rectangular Compur like that?
gatorcpa
Thousands…Now that we know the OP budget, yea UG is out, so are most of the watches I mentioned.
 
__ryan__
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Retiredmajor Retiredmajor
Very helpful...thank you. I can see a few styles here that might fit the bill.
Sure thing. With gold-filled cases, keep an eye out for brassing (wear-through to the base metal below). It's sometimes difficult to identify in photos.
 
gatorcpa
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__ryan__ __ryan__
I’m not sure about the pricing there - bound to be some premium
The person that owns the site is one of the foremost collectors of Hamiltons. He also helped to dig out the archives of the company when they emptied out the factory in the 1990’s.

Some of that information is on his site.
gatorcpa
 
Guy0783
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I would suggest a Girrard Perregaux gyromatic. In steel, the square cased versions are robust and have a more modern size than earlier watches. They are quality automatic movements. The case is a clamshell style which adds to the appeal for me anyway.
 
__ryan__
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
The person that owns the site is one of the foremost collectors of Hamiltons. He also helped to dig out the archives of the company when they emptied out the factory in the 1990’s.

Some of that information is on his site.
gatorcpa
Just to clarify, I'm not saying the prices are unreasonable at that site. I'm saying that I'm not sure because I don't follow these closely. I'm willing to pay a premium for condition, and a lot of the watches on that site look to be in good condition.
 
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